May 2, 2003
BASEBALL: Mazeroski
I forget if I've posted this chart before . . . there's a legitimate debate about whether Bill Mazeroski's glove should carry his bat into the Hall of Fame, but how does Mazeroski stack up as a hitter? Here's his career batting-obp-slugging compared to some other Hall of Famers:
Player | Batting/OBP/Slugging |
Bill Mazeroski | 260/299/367 |
Red Ruffing | 269/306/389 |
Bob Lemon | 232/288/386 |
Walter Johnson | 235/274/342 |
Clark Griffith | 233/318/310 |
Amos Rusie | 247/261/319 |
Burleigh Grimes | 248/282/306 |
Bob Gibson | 206/243/301 |
Kid Nichols | 226/277/300 |
Dizzy Dean | 225/235/301 |
John Clarkson | 219/250/319 |
Early Wynn | 214/274/285 |
Pesky HOF debates, they just always lead to further controversies. Nothing's ever settled.
I guess the question that this chart prompts for me is whether, for example, the Big Train would have entered the HOF without those hundreds and hundreds of pitching W's. I mean come on! The dude was patently feeble as a hitter! :-D